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Monday, June 10, 2013

I Consider Snowden a Hero-Whistleblower – For Now

I have been a fan of the Patriot Act since its inception because of my disgust of Islamic terrorists in this post-9/11 era. I’m all for the quick search warrants from the FISA courts as managed through the Patriot Act to get terrorists before a plan is executed to murder Americans just because they are Americans.

Now that it has become apparent the Obama Administration has highly politicized the Executive Branch to the point that opponents of Obama’s agenda are being intimidated. Scandals such as the IRS, Benghazigate - information was purposefully warped including bad decisions on a rescue based on Obama reelection politics and secret policy decisions that Obama opponents would definitely oppose, the Fast and Furious scandal is another indication of stupid policy execution that cost lives rather than protect lives and now thanks to a whistleblower We the People are aware that the National Security Agency– SA HERE and HERE (NSA) snoops on ALL Americans via phone and Internet ending American’ treasured right of privacy from a Big Brother government (Conspiracy King David Icke has put together an in your face series of link summaries about the NSA and snooping).

Proponents of the NSA’s snooping on Americans say the Patriot gives that secret agency the authority to invade ALL privacy to catch terrorists. Was that what the Patriot Act designed to do? I thought the Patriot Act was designed at best to snoop on potential terrorist activity on a foreign and domestic basis? Are ALL Americans potential terrorists under the Patriot Act?

As long as the Patriot Act has a narrow agenda domestically I do not have a problem with it. On the other hand if the Patriot Act casts a wide net over every single American when the agenda should just be limited potential terrorists. Casting a wide net makes every single American a potential terrorists whether that person is Left, Center or Right. This makes the Patriot Act a political tool by whoever is in power in the White House.

Since I am considerably slanted toward the Right my two-cents is that the NSA scandal should be the last straw of credibility for the Obama Administration. The President that won his Office originally in 2008 on part of a platform that promised a transparent government is a liar. Obama is definitely not transparent. When Obama promised transparency the implication was that President Bush was not transparent to the American people. If Bush was not transparent by successfully protecting Americans from experiencing another 9/11-style attack, what does that mean about Obama’s transparency with scandal after scandal beginning with the moronic Foreign Policy of apologizing for America’s existence followed by dismantling Bush’s agreement with Poland to set-up an umbrella anti-missile system designed for Iran but struck fear in Russia? Forgive me if I forget a few scandals. Then Obama refused to reinforce the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Not only did this allow the flow illegal aliens who use American social services undeservedly but it also meant Mexican drug cartels had free access to American communities which also means Islamic terrorists that have partnered with drug cartels have free access. And of course there was Fast and Furious which the brilliant Obama Administration armed drug cartels under the dopey concept of tracking weapons – oops, Border Agents were killed by that transaction. Then the scandal dominoes began to fall quicker. Benghazigate is still in the cover-up stage. The Obama Administration targeting political opponents via the IRS is still in cover-up phase. AND of course there will be some cover-up goings-on about the NSA spying on Americans just because they believe they can.

Now I could change my mind on Edward Snowden as a hero whistleblower. What could change my mind? If Snowden is proven to have released classified information to harm the USA and/or to harm American troops and harm espionage activities abroad that typically benefit American National Interests then Snowden needs to be prosecuted as a traitor. For example Bradley Manning released classified information to Wikileaks that broadcast secret diplomatic cables from Embassies back to Washington. Those cables are secret because the writers of those cables need candor that might prove embarrassing if a foreign nation – especially and ally – discovers the classified content. Also thanks to Manning military personal have been compromised by exposing tactics that are used to defeat the enemy in battle. That makes Manning a traitor. If Snowden’s whistleblowing is in the same Manning-light then he is a traitor. HOWEVER, if Snowden’s whistleblowing was under the motivation to let Americans know their Constitutional Rights were being abused by the U.S. Government then Snowden is a hero and should be provided whistleblower immunity. If whistleblower immunity leads to the prosecution of those responsible who tried to hide behind the Patriot Act to break Constitutional rule of law then Edward Snowden should be given a Medal.

The source behind the leak of the top-secret NSA surveillance program – one of the most significant leaks in US history – has been revealed. A 29-year-old former CIA contractor Edward Snowden has fled to Hong Kong to avoid the fate of Bradley Manning.

The former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, had asked the Guardian to reveal his identity and had never planned on hiding.

“I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,” he said in an interview.

Snowden predicts that the government will launch an investigation against him, however it was “a matter of principle” for him because he believes that the people should know how the government intrudes into their privacy. According to Snowden he acted out of a desire to protect "basic liberties" and to “send a message to government that people will not be intimidated.”

“I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building,” said the whistleblower.

Snowden leaked top-secret documents to The Guardian that included the existence of a US National Security Agency’s extensive spying program called PRISM (SlantRight Editor: Wikipedia on PRISM). The program was designed to collect information about digital communications allowing real-time online surveillance of US citizens.

According to the leaked information it gives “direct access” to files from the servers of major internet companies including Google and Facebook. The spying program was allegedly targeted to identify “folks who might engage in terrorism,” according to US president Barack Obama, who noted that American citizens should be prepared to trade some of their freedoms for more safety.

Snowden said he is willingly sacrificing his very comfortable life with a family he loves and a stable career with a salary of around $200,000. "My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."

A former MI5 agent Annie Machon believes that Snowden will be the first of a series of modern whistleblowers who learnt from the terrible tragedy of the Bradley Manning case.

“The way he has run the whole exposure and disclosure of the crimes of the NSA and what they are doing against the American people and the rest of the world people has been very sophisticated. And I take heart from that. The fact that he has fled the USA, he is now in Hong Kong. The fact that he has been working with journalists of Glenn Greenwald's caliber,” Machon told RT. “I think it’s been very, very well done. I would call this Whistleblowing 2.0.”

The revelation of the whistleblowers identity comes after NSA filed a leak investigation report on Sunday to the Justice Department for it to launch a criminal case into the breach of security. The leaks also come amid US Army Private Bradley Manning’s trial on charges of transmitting classified materials connected with US military operations abroad to the WikiLeaks website. The Obama administration has aggressively pursued whistleblowers and Snowden expects the government to pursue him, however he states that he “is not afraid , because this is the choice I've made.”

Whistleblower’s asylum of choice?

Until three weeks ago Snowden worked in a NSA office in Hawaii. There he made final preparations, copied the final set of documents he planned to leak and on May 20 boarded a flight to Hong Kong. At work he explained that he needed time off for treatment for epilepsy, a condition he was diagnosed with last year.

Snowden told the paper that he chose Hong Kong because it is the place that could and would “resist the dictates of the US government” and the city has “a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent.”

He has been living in a hotel ever since and only left the room about three times during his entire stay as he is afraid of being spied on.

“I could be rendered by the CIA. I could have people come after me. Or any of the third-party partners. They work closely with a number of other nations. Or they could pay off the Triads. Any of their agents or assets,” he said. “We have got a CIA station just up the road – the consulate here in Hong Kong – and I am sure they are going to be busy for the next week.”

“And that is a concern I will live with for the rest of my life, however long that happens to be.”

Snowden anticipates that he will be charged with breaking the Espionage Act and helping the enemies, “but that can be used against anyone who points out how massive and invasive the system has become" the whistleblower notes.

'Most CIA secrets are about people, not machines or systems’

Snowden was discharged from the army after a training accident, and got a job as a security guard at the NSA facility at the University of Maryland in College Park. His next role was with the CIA on IT security. In 2007 he was stationed in Geneva, Switzerland, where he maintained computer network security for the CIA.

“Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world,” he told The Guardian. “I realized that I was part of something that was doing far more harm than good.”

Snowden said that in Switzerland the idea of leaking government information first came to mind, however he hoped that the election of Barack Obama in 2008 would reform the government’s policy.

“Most of the secrets the CIA has are about people, not machines and systems, so I didn't feel comfortable with disclosures that I thought could endanger anyone.”

Within the next three years he came to the conclusion that the NSA's surveillance would soon, ultimately, pose an “existential threat to democracy.” He chose to blow the whistle in spite of the risks involved.

“I don't want to live in a world where there's no privacy and therefore no room for intellectual exploration and creativity” the whistleblower told the paper.

“That is not something I am willing to support or live under.”

__________________________

Alleged US security officials said NSA leaker, journalist should be 'disappeared' – report

A US editor has alleged he overheard security officials saying that the NSA leaker and the Guardian columnist who broke his story should be “disappeared.” Leaker Edward Snowden said that American spies often prefer silencing targets over due process.

According to Clemons, four men sitting next to him at the airport “were loud. Almost bragging” while discussing an intelligence conference they had just attended hosted by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

A US editor has alleged he overheard security officials saying that the NSA leaker and the Guardian columnist who broke his story should be “disappeared.” Leaker Edward Snowden said that American spies often prefer silencing targets over due process.

In Dulles UAL lounge listening to 4 US intel officials saying loudly leaker & reporter on#NSA stuff should be disappeared recorded a bit (From the RT.com article but is missing the Twitter Picture and some links in Russian)

According to Clemons, four men sitting next to him at the airport “were loud. Almost bragging” while discussing an intelligence conference they had just attended hosted by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

Clemens said he was unsure of the men's identities or which agency they worked for, and told the Huffington Post that one of them was wearing “a white knit national counter-terrorism center shirt.” Clemons also recorded part of their conversation and snapped some photos, hoping that “people in that bz will know them.”

“But bad quality,” he noted about the quality of the photos. “Was a shock to me and wasn't prepared,” he wrote on Twitter.

Clemons’ post immediately went viral, and his Twitter account was flooded with responses.

While some users were anxious to learn more details and hear the conversation, others lashed out at the blogger, saying he should have verified the information before posting it.

@SCClemons@BillBindc I would not tweet if I was not sure, given the seriousness of the topic at this time. No? Credibility involved. (Ibid. as in above Twitter Quote)

Clemons said his view on the “disappear” part was that the statement was one of “bravado” and a “joke” – but a very “disturbing” one. He said he felt obligated to make it public because he thought the speakers were senior intelligence officers.

It was a “disconcerting set of comments offered in public,” Clemons explained.

@AlwaysThinkHow@msnbcDisrupt I think you ask legitimate question. I posted as these were senior intel folks joking about disappearances (Ibid)

The blogger judged the speakers’ profession from the “context” of their conversation, as well as from the shirt one of them was wearing.

Clemons is now working on an article detailing the conversation, but he said he will not publish it or the recording until he identifies the speakers and offers them a “fair chance to clarify” their remarks.

Clemons has claimed that another person present at the time of the alleged conversation emailed him with the “same interpretation and concern” of the conversation.

Snowden on tweet: ‘I am a spy and that is how they talk’

The source behind the revelation of the top-secret NSA surveillance program, dubbed one of the most significant intelligence leaks in US history, was uncovered late last week. Snowden, a former CIA technical contractor and NSA consultant, had asked the Guardian to reveal his identity. He has fled to Hong Kong in a bid to escape retaliation by the US.

"The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted to see your emails or your wife's phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards,” Snowden told the Guardian.

When asked for his reaction to the alleged comments that reporter Glenn Greenwald and the 29-year-old leaker himself should be "disappeared," Snowden told the newspaper: "Someone responding to the story said 'real spies do not speak like that.' Well, I am a spy and that is how they talk. Whenever we had a debate in the office on how to handle crimes, they do not defend due process – they defend decisive action. They say it is better to kick someone out of a plane than let these people have a day in court. It is an authoritarian mindset in general."

Snowden earlier explained that he had sacrificed his life and $200,000-a-year career out of his desire to protect "basic liberties" in order to “send a message to government that people will not be intimidated.”

The whistleblower leaked top-secret documents that revealed the existence of the US National Security Agency’s extensive Internet spying program PRISM, which records digital communications and allows for real-time online surveillance of US citizens. PRISM apparently gives US intelligence agencies direct access to files stored on the servers of major Internet companies – including Google and Facebook – in order to identify and target potential terror suspects.

**SlantRight Editor: Yeah, I know “RT” stands “Russia Today” which the Wikipedia link I attached to TV-Novosti explains. RT is funded by the Russian government. I am guessing the info herein is not diluted by the U.S. Mainstream Media love affair with President Obama.